Clothespin



W. H. WITT.

CLOTH ESPIN. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3], 1919.

1 3 1 $9 9 Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

A To-cfl whom it may concern:

-.-'UN TED STArw CE..

WILLIAM H, WIT'I, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

CLOTHESPIN'.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Wrr'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petersbur inthe county of Dinwiddie and State of and useful Improvements in Glothespins,of

which the following is a specification, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawlng'S. This invention relates to an improved clothes pin, and the invention in its'broadest aspect aims to provide a clothes pin constructed of resilient Wire, andbeing so con structed as to provide means, whereby the spring arms will more efficiently resist a force, applled for the purpose of distorting thespring arms, and yet will not act to prevent the necessary yieldability of the.

arms and also will not prevent. the clampmg action of the arms. To the contrary,

the means will act to insure a firmer clamp-.

" ing action of the arms on theclothes line "and the clothes.

The invention further aims to improve, simplify, and for the above reasons render more practical the construction of clothes pin set forth, illustrated and claimed in the application for. patent to Julius G. Stradder, -filed December 5, 1917, Serial No. 205,579.

a The construction of clothes pin in the aforesaid application embodies a free and I unattached arm, which, 'while it has'its adoutwardly, in other words distorted laterally vantages in some respects, it has been found in other respects to be impractical. For instance a free and unattached arm as dis-- closed in this application may be pulled and the member between this arm and the opposite arm may also be distorted. Very often children are ye destructive, and it has been found that t e clothes pin as set forth in the aforesaid application has been so distorted by children, that it has no fur ther use. For instance, the free and unattached arm, when bent laterally ord-istort Specification of Letters Patent.

bent to its normal shapex In the present invention, it isthe aim 1rg1n1a,have mvented certain new the clamping legs from performing the necessary clampln'g actions, when the to provide a clothes pin constructed from a sin le length of spring wire, bent to form ab y loop, one endportion-beymd this loop terminating in a spring arm, which is loop arm, the terminal portion beyond the abutment arch of this arm loop terminating in means constituting an abutment for that portion of the body loop, whereby it merges into the spring arm, in order to reinforce the spring arm and prevent thesame from being unduly bent.

pin is re--' Patented. Sept. 2, 1919. Application filed March 31, 19 19. seria1-NoJ2ss,s27.-- t

While the design and construction at pres I ent illustrated and set forth is deemed preferable, it is obvious that as a result of a.

reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the in the right to these changes is claimed, provided they are comprehended within the scope of what is-claimed. I The inventioncomprises further features and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:'

Figure 1- 's a perspective view of the -1n1- proved clothes pin constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the same suspended on a clothes line.

; Fig. 2 is a view inelevation of the clothes pin shown in Fig. 1, showing the clothes line in section.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing a slightly modified. form of.c'onstmction, and

in this figure the sidesG and 10 of the loop 'arm are substantially straight at theirvupper portions.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified construction of clothes pin, in which con-- ,vention may be susceptible to changes and. f

struction the parts 11 and 12 are dispensed with, and the upper part of the side 10 terminates in the eye 11 to receive the side 6 of the loop arm.

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the structure of clothes pin shown in Fig. 4, showing the arms of the clothes pin slightly sprung apart as indicated by the arrows at and b.

Referring more especially to the drawings 1 designates a clothes pin as a whole, which is constructed from a single piece of wire. The wire in order to form the clothes pin is bent to form a body loop 2, which is substantially in the form of a ring. One end of the wire beyond this body ring or loop, as indicated at 3 is bent to form a spring arm 4, the end portion of which terminates in an eye 5.

The other end portion of the body loop or ring as at 6 is extended and is bent at 8, so that the extended part 6, and bent portion 10 will form the opposite sides of a loop arm, and between which sides the spring arm is interposed. The side 10 is extended in tangential relation to the body loop, and positioned across that portion of the loop, where the spring arm connects thereto. .The side 10 at its upper end is bent at 11, arching over the body loop, and the part 12 beyond the bend 11 terminates in an eye 13, through which that portion of the body loop where the spring arm xtends from passes. By means of the ben 11 engaging near the upper part of the body loop, the loop arm is reinforced, and by means of the eye engaging the bottom portion of the body loop at a point to abut the side 10, the spring arm is reinforced,

thereby preventing the clamping arms of The wire the clothes pin from being unnecessarily distorted.

A modified form of construction of clothes pin is herein illustrated, and this particular design of clothes pin is also constructed of a single length of wire. is bent to form the body loop 2", and as in the first instance, a portion of the wire beyond the body loop is bent at 2* to form the spring arm 3* having a terminal eye 4*. The opposite portion of the wire beyond the body loop is bent to form the double-sided spring arm 6, and the terminal portion of the side 10 of this double-sided spring arm 6 terminates in an eye, extending at right angles to the side 10*, and this eye 11 overlies the bend, thereby forming an abutment for the bend, and the spring arm which will offer a resistance when an attempt vis made to unnecessarily distort the spring arm. This eye 11 receives that portion of the side of the double-sided loop arm, thereby insuring a loop arm having rigid sides, between which the spring arm what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A clothes pin, constructed from a single length of spring wire, the substantially intermediate portion of. its length being bent to form a body loop, one end portion of the wire beyond the body loop being bent to form a double-sided loop arm, the other end portion beyond the body loop terminating in a spring arm interposed between the sides of the loop arm, one side of the double-sided loop arm terminating in means acting as an abutment for the bend between the sprin "arm and a portion of the body loop, and

means for reinforcing the first means.

2. A clothes pin, constructed from a single length of spring wire, the substantially intermediate portion of its length being formed into a body loop, one end portion of the wire beyond the body loop terminating into a double-sided loop arm, the other end portion of the wire beyond the body loop engaging between the sides of the loop arm, and being bent and terminating in a spring arm interposed between the sides of the loop arm, one side of the double-sided loop arm extending tangentially with relation to the body loop and bein bent to form an arch arching over and ributting a portion of the body loop and terminating in a member overlying the opposite side of the body loop, said member terminating in an eye engaging a portion of the body loop, said eye abutting against the opposite sides of the loop arm, thereby reinforcing the arms, and yet permitting of sufficient resiliency to permit the arms to separate.

v 3. A clothes pin, constructed from a single length of spring wire, the substantially intermediate portion of its length being bent to form a body loop, one end portion of the wire beyond the body loop being bent to form a loop arm extending tangentially to the body loop and having parallel spaced sides, the other end portion beyond the body loop extending between the sides of the loop arm and terminating in a spring arm, said spring arm having its end portion interposed between the lower parts of the sides of the loop arm, one of the parallel sides of the loop arm being extended upwardly and formed into the loop tangentially straddling a part of the body loop, the extremity of one of the sides of this last ingots. a

, mentioned loop 'te'rminitting in an eye'; of the body 1001), to govern the resilienoy 1o th'rou h which a portion of the body loop of; the loop arm and the spring arm during exten s, toform a. spring arm, at the'point their separable actions. where the spring arm: merges from between In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my the parallel sides of thel'oop arm havin a Signature in the presence of two witnesses. crotch for the reception of the clothes hne, WILLIAM H. WITT. said eye at the terminal of one of the sides Witnewes: v i of the last mentioned loop (:06 eratin'g' with T. M. WooLAm), the sides of the loop am an with a. part J. A. CALnIs. 

